Methods and systems for anonymous player profile storage and retrieval

ABSTRACT

A method and personal instrument for players to store and retrieve their game and player preference profile without registering for a named personal player account therefore retaining their anonymity. When playing multilevel games, the described embodiments allow storing and retrieving the game level and/or other player or game information such that the game may be subsequently resumed at the same or a different gaming machine. Gaming machines may be configured to offer Anonymous Player Profile Storage and Retrieval using personal readable storage instruments such as machine readable Player Profile Tickets, personal memory devices, PIN-based keypad or modalities. Active anonymous players may be monitored while retaining their anonymity and consequently may earn loyalty bonuses and be prompted with promotional offers. Monitored active anonymous players may even be invited to join a conventional named player tracking scheme for additional benefits, if they wish to reveal their identity.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) ofProvisional Application No. 60/889,923, filed Feb. 14, 2007, whichapplication is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present inventions relate generally to the field of regulated paycomputer-controlled games, either pay-for-play (e.g. entertainmentarcades, amusement arcades) or pay-for-wager (e.g. casino, videolottery, Fixed Odds Betting terminals or FOBT).

2. Description of the Prior Art and Related Information

No group has exerted more influence on the contemporary casino slotfloor than the WWII and “baby boom” generations. A demographic that isat or is nearing the age of retirement, these generation represents adominant segment of the casino gaming market, largely because of theirdisposable income and because of the wealth of time they have availableto devote to recreation.

Because of this marketplace dynamic, casino gaming machine designers andoperators have focused their industry around the WWII and baby boomgeneration players. A large percentage of the operating gaming machinesare themed with cartoon and movie icons of these eras. Since players ator nearing retirement age tend to be less technologically savvy thanyounger players, gaming machines have evolved at a much slower pace thancomputing technologies. In addition, since the WWII and baby boomgeneration players did not grow up playing console video games, littlemotivation has existed and few inroads have been made in bringingconsole style video games to the casino floor.

Because of its reluctance to evolve, the casino gaming marketplace facesa number of risks in the coming years. The WWII/baby boomer generationswill not dominate the gaming marketplace forever. While the process ofchanging game symbols and icons to better suit the next generation ofplayers should not prove difficult, the process of changing the veryessence of casino games will undoubtedly prove to be a more challengingendeavor.

It stands to reason that the next generation of casino players, ageneration that has been raised on interactive console-based videogames, is not likely to be entertained by games of a lesstechnologically sophisticated era. Because the console video gameparadigm involves “beating” games by advancing through a series oflevels, it is logical that Generation X and Generation Y gamers willrespond positively to casino games that work along similar lines.Spinning reels are not likely to entertain a player who grew upcommanding armies, fulfilling mythical quests, winning super bowls, andrescuing princesses in distress amidst dazzling colors and rich graphicsand sound.

In order to support the new brand of console-style casino games thatmust inevitably be developed, some key changes will need to be made tothe layout and design of casino gaming machines. One such key changewill involve the console video game paradigm of saving games. Becausegames in which a player advances through a series of levels typicallycannot be conquered in a single setting, the player must have a means ofstoring his or her game at its current level of completion so that he orshe may resume it later. In the current casino marketplace, no frameworkfor capturing, storing, or retrieving this information exists.

Current casino games are also not adequately equipped to handle playerpreferences storage and retrieval. Moreover, as games continue toevolve, players will have increasingly more power to affect their gamingexperience by changing the look, layout, and behavior of games to matchtheir preferences. Currently, no reliable and convenient mechanismexists to “remember” a player's game preferences each time he or shebegins a game within casinos.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an embodiment of the present invention is a method,including providing a first network-connected regulated gaming machineconfigured to enable a player to change personal parameters associatedwith the player during a game session on the first gaming machine, thefirst gaming machine including a first ticket printer and a first ticketreader; providing a first memory accessible by the network; enabling theplayer to start a first game session on the first gaming machine withdefault personal parameters; changing the default personal parameters;enabling a player to end the game session on the first gaming machine;storing the changed personal parameters and an anonymous uniqueidentifier in the first memory for later retrieval, the stored personalparameters being referenced by the anonymous unique identifier;printing, by the first ticket printer, a first ticket including at leastthe anonymous unique identifier; providing a second network-connectedregulated gaming machine that includes a second ticket printer and asecond ticket reader; reading, by the second ticket reader, at least theanonymous unique identifier printed on the first ticket uponpresentation of the first ticket by the player to the second gamingmachine; retrieving from the first memory via the network the storedpersonal parameters referenced by the read anonymous unique identifier,and enabling the player to start, on the second gaming machine, a secondgame session configured with the retrieved personal parameters.

According to further embodiments, the first memory may be located in thefirst gaming machine and the retrieving may be performed by copying thestored personal parameters directly from the first gaming machine to thesecond gaming machine via the network in a peer-to-peer fashion.Alternatively, the first memory may be located in a remote centralserver coupled to the network and the retrieving may be performed bycopying the stored personal parameters from the memory located in theremote central server to the second gaming machine via the network. Forexample, the personal parameters may include game layout preferences,game configuration preferences, game themes preferences, a last gamelevel achieved, a last point played in the game, a preferred startingpoint in the game, a player selected avatar, a player selected nickname(or pseudo-name), sound volume, and/or game accrued non-monetarybenefits, to name but a few of the possibilities. The method may furtherinclude a step of printing, by the first ticket printer, a second ticketassociated with winnings or remaining credits of the player when acash-out function is activated. The first ticket and the second ticketmay be merged on a single ticket. The method may further include a stepof encoding the anonymous unique identifier printed of the first ticketby the first ticket printer in a machine readable code, the machinereadable code being one of, for example, a 1D barcode, a 2D barcode andOCR text that is readable by the first ticket reader and the secondticket reader. The method may also include a step of encoding theanonymous unique identifier and the personal parameters printed of thefirst ticket by the first ticket printer in a machine readable code, themachine readable code being one of, for example, a 1D barcode, a 2Dbarcode and OCR text that is readable by the first ticket reader and thesecond ticket reader. The method may also include a step of printing amachine readable verification code comprising at least a PKI certificateand a signature of the anonymous unique identifier and the personalparameters on the first ticket to enable, when the first ticket is beingread by the first reader or the second reader, authentication of theanonymous unique identifier and the personal parameters, theauthentication including at least proof of origin of the PKIcertificate. Steps of the first ticket reader reading at least theanonymous unique identifier printed on the first ticket presented by theplayer on the first gaming machine and retrieving the personalparameters referenced by the anonymous unique identifier from the firstmemory may also be carried out. The method may also include a step ofthe second ticket printer printing a second ticket including at leastthe anonymous unique identifier. The first game in the first gamesession and the second game in the second session may be the same game.The first game in the first game session and the second game in thesecond session may be the same game and the second enabling step may becarried out such that the second game is configured to resume from wherethe first game ended or left off. The method may also include steps ofmonitoring an activity of the player identified by the anonymous uniqueidentifier by a remote central server and recording, in a database, therecorded activity being referenced by the anonymous unique identifier.The monitoring step may be carried out to enable the player to, forexample, earn loyalty bonuses, be prompted with promotional offers,and/or be invited to join a conventional named player tracking schemefor additional benefits if the player wishes to reveal his identity. Thesecond providing step may be carried out with the second gaming machinebeing configured to enable a player to change personal parametersassociated with the player during a game session on the second gamingmachine

According to another embodiment thereof, the present invention is amethod of enabling regulated game play. The method may include steps ofreading, by a first gaming machine, a player profile instrument providedby a player having initiated a first game on the first gaming machine;retrieving, by the first gaming machine, player information from theread player profile instrument and using the retrieved playerinformation to retrieve player profile information and configuring thefirst gaming machine according to the retrieved player profileinformation; enabling the player to play the initiated first game on theconfigured first gaming machine; responsive to one of a selectedplurality of events, ending the first game and updating the playerprofile information with game information from the played first game;reading, by a second gaming machine, the player profile instrumentprovided by the player having initiated a second game on the secondgaming machine; retrieving, by the second gaming machine, the playerinformation from the read player profile instrument and using theretrieved player information to retrieve the updated player profileinformation and configuring the second gaming machine according to theretrieved updated player profile information, and enabling the player toplay the initiated second game on the configured second gaming machine.

The player profile information may be retrieved by the first gamingmachine from a player profile database provided, for example, within thefirst gaming machine. The player profile information may be retrieved bythe second gaming machine from a player profile database that may beprovided, for example, within the second gaming machine. The playerprofile information may be retrieved by the first and second gamingmachines from a player profile database that may be remote from thefirst and the second gaming machine. The selected plurality of eventsmay include, for example, the player cashing out, the player running outof credits and the player terminating the first game, to name but a fewpossibilities. The second game may be the same as the first game and thesecond game configuring step may configure the second game to start orto resume from where the first game left off or ended. The second gamemay be the same as the first game and the second game configuring stepmay configure the second game to start in a level where the first gameended. The player profile information may include a player-selectedavatar, the first game configuring step may configure the first game touse the player-selected avatar and the second game configuring step mayconfigure the second game to use the player-selected avatar. After thesecond gaming machine reading step, the method may further include stepsof updating the player information and storing the updated playerinformation on the player profile device. The player information mayinclude a unique and anonymous player identifier that is associated withthe player profile information of the player. The player profileinstrument may be a ticket printed by a first ticket printer included inor coupled to the first gaming machine and read by a second ticketreader included in or coupled to the second gaming machine. The playerprofile instrument may be a removable personal memory that is recordablevia a first removable personal-memory reader/writer included in orcoupled to the first gaming machine and readable by a second removablepersonal memory reader/writer included in or coupled to the secondgaming machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a gaming machine configured to support Anonymous PlayerProfile Storage and Retrieval, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 shows one possible embodiment of a Player Profile Ticket,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart detailing game play on a gaming machinesupporting Anonymous Player Profile Storage and Retrieval, according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows how gaming machines using anonymous player profiles mayhandle player profile information retrieval, according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows how anonymous player profiles may be stored and retrievedvia peer-to-peer gaming machine architecture, according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows how anonymous player profiles may be stored and retrievedvia central server-based gaming machine architecture, according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of a Player Profile Ticket that uses a 1-Dbar code, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a Player Profile Ticket that uses a 2-Dbar code, according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a Player Profile Ticket that features acredit count, cash value and a timestamp, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of a Player Profile Ticket that lists ticketredemption locations, according to yet another embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of theinvention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form apart hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specificexemplary embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. Theseembodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilledin the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood thatother embodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical,electrical and other changes may be made without departing from thespirit or scope of the present invention. The following detaileddescription is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

Embodiments of the present invention include methods and systems forenabling players to store and retrieve their game preference profilewithout registering for a player account, thus retaining playeranonymity. When playing multilevel games, the method allows storing andretrieving the current game level such that the game may be seamlesslyresumed at a later time. Gaming machines may be configured, according toembodiments of the present invention, to offer Anonymous Player ProfileStorage and Retrieval using personal readable storage instruments suchas machine readable tickets, personal memory devices, and PIN-basedkeypad schemes (among many other possibilities). Active anonymousplayers may be monitored (all the while retaining their anonymity) andmay earn loyalty bonuses, may be prompted with promotional offers and/ormay be invited to join a conventional full player tracking scheme foradditional benefits if they wish to reveal their identity. The AnonymousPlayer Profile Storage and Retrieval may advantageously operate in apeer-to-peer fashion or may be implemented using central serverarchitecture.

FIG. 1 shows a gaming machine configured to support Anonymous PlayerProfile Storage and Retrieval. Aspects of embodiments of the presentinvention may also be referred to by the shorthand notation “PIPO”, for“Preference In, Preference Out.” Gaming machines 102 configured tosupport Anonymous Player Profile Storage and Retrieval may include, forexample, a primary gaming display 104 as well as a secondary display 110that is typically used for secondary games. The primary gaming display104 may display reels 106 and gaming meters 108, for example.Alternatively, the primary gaming display may display other types ofgames. The gaming machine 102, according to embodiments of the presentinvention, may include support for Anonymous Player Profile Storage andRetrieval according to embodiment of the present invention to allow forthe anonymous storage and retrieval of player information through anycombination of a number of input/output player interaction devices. Suchinput/output player interaction devices may include, for example, aticket reader 112, ticket printer 114, keypad 116, and a portable memorymedia input slot 118. The portable memory input slot 118 may beconfigured for and used to receive “thumb-drives” and/or other portablememory devices that may be pre-configured and issued by, e.g., thecasino. The portable memory input slot 118 may be configured for andused to receive “console personal removable memory devices”, which arecommonly found in XBOX® and Playstation® game consoles allowing eachindividual player to store and retrieve data related to his personalprofile and other game related parameters for games he has been playing.This may advantageously be used when a game operator offers two versionsof the same game, one configured to be played in the casino for realmoney, and one to be downloaded by players configured to be played athome on a game console for simulated money. The player may bring hisconsole personal removable memory device from home to the casino andvice-versa, such as to be able to re-use regulatory authorized personaldata for games played at home and at the casino. It is to be noted thatembodiments of the present invention are not to be limited by theexemplary gaming machine shown in FIG. 1 and described herein above.Indeed, other means of providing and reading player profile informationwill be devised in the future, and embodiments of the present inventionmay be readily adapted to make use of such future technologies, as thoseof skill in this art will recognize.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary Player Profile Ticket, according to anembodiment of the present invention. During a gaming session, playersmay choose to have their current game status, player preferences, aswell any other pertinent in game information (such as, for example, aplayer-selected avatar) stored on a Player Profile Ticket 202. Thisticket may feature key information including: a heading describing itsuse as shown at 204, a statement regarding its cash value or lackthereof as shown at 206, a timestamp 208, and a bar code 210 or othermachine readable code or indexing device to allow for informationstorage and retrieval. While Player Profile Tickets (examples of whichare shown at FIGS. 2 and 4-10) represent one form of player profilestorage device, although devices such as PIN based keypad systems andportable memory media (USB Flash drive, MP3 player memory, mobile phonememory, camera memory, media memory, XBOX player memory, PlayStationplayer memory, for example, secured by regulatory approved securitymeans) may also be advantageously employed to store player profiles andother player information according to the inventions described herein.In addition, plastic cards having a magnetic strip may be used, as maybe any device or method that enables the player information to be storedand retrieved (e.g., so-called “smart cards” with embedded secure memoryand/or processor), the present inventions not being limited by the meansor methods by which the pertinent information is stored, accessed andretrieved, without revealing the player's identity unless he explicitlyallows it (the player remains anonymous).

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart detailing game play on a gaming machinesupporting Anonymous Player Profile Storage and Retrieval, according toembodiments of the present invention. As the flow illustrates, playersmay elect to resume games at the point in which they were left offand/or adopt previously selected player preferences simply by insertinga profile storage device into the gaming machine or otherwisecommunicate such player profile information to the gaming machine.According to another aspect of the present inventions, players who donot have such a device or who wish not to avail themselves of thepresent Anonymous Player Profile Storage and Retrieval need not do soand may continue playing as they have conventionally, with no delay orinconvenience. As shown in FIG. 3, step S1 calls for the patron toinitiate a gaming session. Such may be signaled, for example, by thepatron approaching the gaming machine, touching the gaming machine orpressing a button on the gaming device or otherwise signaling a desireto initiate a gaming session in a manner that is recognized by thegaming machine. FIG. 3 is shown and described hereunder within thecontext of using Player Profile Tickets to store player profileinformation. At step S32, the gaming machine may determine whether theplayer has inserted or otherwise presented his or her Player ProfileTicket to the gaming machine (or caused the gaming machine to accesssuch information). If not, no player profile information is communicatedto the gaming machine and game play, as shown at S39, may default tolevel 1, or whatever is the default or entry point to the game for new,inexperienced or non-identified players. If the patron has indeedinserted or otherwise presented a Player Profile Ticket (or equivalentdevice) or has otherwise communicated his or her player profileinformation to the gaming machine, as suggested by the “Yes” branch ofS32, step S33 may be carried out. As shown at S33, the gaming machinemay read the inserted or presented Player Profile Ticket, retrieve theplayer information stored therein, configure the gaming machine and thepresently active game according to the retrieved player information,configure the game to the player's preferred or last level and enablegame play accordingly. The player information may be stored on thePlayer Profile Ticket, may be retrieved from a peer gaming machine basedupon identifying information read from the Player Profile Ticket (whichneed not include any personal information) using similar peer-to-peertechniques as are disclosed in copending and commonly assigned U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/172,518, filed on Jun. 29, 2005(incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) and/or may retrievethe player information from a central server that is coupled to adatabase containing a record corresponding to the identifyinginformation read from the Player Profile Ticket.

At step S34, it is determined whether the player or patron wishes tochange his or her player profile—that is, to change his or her existingpreferences or to add new player preferences. If not, the method mayproceed to step S36, whereupon the player plays or continues to play hisor her game. If, however, the player wishes to change or add to his orher existing player profile (the “Yes” branch of S34), step S35 callsfor the player to input such preferences through appropriate playerinteraction mechanisms such as, for example, on screen prompts,on-screen choices, voice input, buttons or active areas on a touchscreen or by means of other input modalities. Game play may then proceeduntil patron wishes to cash out as shown at S37 (or the player's fundsare exhausted). If, as shown at the “Yes” branch of S37, the playerwishes to cash out, the new or updated player profile may be stored onthe Player Profile Ticket or otherwise stored as shown at S38 and anywinnings and/or remaining funds may be dispensed. The updated playerprofile may include an identification of the last level achieved by theplayer (or the latest point played in the game so as to enable aseamless resumption of the game at a later time), as well as any changesto the player profile inputted at S35. Other pertinent information mayalso be stored at this time, either on the Player Profile Ticket or onthe gaming machine, a peer gaming machine or on a central server.

FIG. 4 shows how gaming machines using anonymous player profiles mayhandle player profile information retrieval, according to an embodimentof the present invention. While players may insert Player ProfileTickets such as shown at 402 into ticket acceptors 404 of a gamingmachine 414 to retrieve their profile information, they may also usealternative profile storage devices such as, for example, a memorizedaccount number coupled with a password 406 or a single memorized accesscode, both code systems being input into a machine via a keypad device408. Such code-based player profile information storage systems anddevices may function like highly secure offshore anonymous bankaccounts, allowing players to use and access their accounts without theneed to carry any storage media and with full confidence in theiranonymity.

Once a player has inserted his or her Player Profile Ticket, input theiraccess code (or account number and password) or have otherwisecommunicated or caused the retrieval of their player profileinformation, his or her unique anonymous player ID may be matched withone or more entries in a casino's profile database 410—which may beco-located or may be located in a remote secure location. Note that theanonymous player ID need not be matched with the player's personalidentity, if the player does not so wish. In this manner, embodiments ofthe present invention may keep track of a player's player informationwithout requiring the player to personally identify him or herself tothe casino—unless the player so desires. The profile database may becomposed of a simple table 412 or may be composed of a series ofinterrelated tables. Information stored within this table or tables mayinclude but is not limited to: a customer ID, a customer profile code, agame title, a game status code, information on remaining credits,information on unclaimed or earned bonuses, sound volume, and a gametimestamp. The database record corresponding to the player may then beused by the gaming machine 414 to set the player's preferences,remaining credits or remaining accrued benefits, current level (usingthe game status code, for example) and a host of other personalizedservices. Accrued benefits are credits or scores that the player mayhave accumulated before he exited the game that may be used when a newgame session is started, such as ammunitions, fuel, lives, scores, or solike that are commonly encountered in multi-level or multi-act consoletype games. In new generation games for example those involving playerskills, the player may remap the position or the functions of thebuttons available on the gaming machine so suit his preferences; the keymap may be saved in his player profile. Similarly, in new generationgames, the screen layout may be configured by the player and the screenlayout configuration may be saved in his player profile. Therefore, theplayer profile may be saved in a memory instrument and later beretrieved from that instrument. For example when a player is annoyed bya group of noisy players nearby, he may cash-out with an option to savehis profile, go to another gaming machine in a quiet place, start a newgame session with an option to retrieve his profile; consequently, thegaming machine and the game with be configured with the same parametersconfigured in the last gaming machine he was playing on.

In an embodiment of the inventions described herein, players who wish torenounce their anonymity may setup a player loyalty account (also knownas player tracking account) such that their player profile account ismerged with their player tracking account. An anonymous player playingon a gaming machine may have its anonymous play activity monitored andupon a predetermined activity criteria, receive via the video display ora voucher printed on the gaming machine, an invitation to open a playerloyalty account for additional benefits. Any of the versatile media thathandle anonymous player profile storage and retrieval may also be usedfor player tracking. In such an embodiment, players would be able toreceive and redeem loyalty awards without having to carry a PlayerProfile Ticket 402. Players who wish to make their identities andcontact information known to the casino may also qualify for mail-basedor other electronic (email, web-based, Instant Messaging, etc.)promotions based on their player profile and the status they haveachieved in trying to complete or conquer one or more games.

FIG. 5 shows how anonymous player profiles may be stored and retrievedvia peer-to-peer architecture, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 5, when a player profile device, in thiscase a Player Profile Ticket 502, is output from a gaming machine 504configured for Anonymous Player Profile Storage and Retrieval accordingto an embodiment of the present invention, player profile informationfrom the player's current game may be written to the local gamingmachine database 506 of the player's gaming machine 504. When a playerprofile device (such as a Player Profile Ticket 502) in input to anothergaming machine 508 on the network (e.g., Local Area Network (LAN)) 516,the database 506 of the gaming machine 504 on which the player lastplayed last may be referenced and the associated player profile may betransferred (e.g., over the LAN 516) to the database 510 of the gamingmachine 508 on which the player now wishes to play. Potentially, if theplayer 500 moves to gaming machine 512 with another profile ticketobtained from gaming machine 508, then his or her player profile 510 maybe referenced and transferred from the database 510 to the database 514of the gaming machine 512 on which the player now wishes to play. Suchan arrangement is advantageous, in that no costly central server need bemaintained and in that each gaming machine acts as an autonomous unit,able to earn the casino profits even in the event of an outage of acentral system. Furthermore, future innovations may be quicklyimplemented across gaming machines from a same vendor as the system ofFIG. 5 does not involve a central server controlled by another party.

FIG. 6 shows how anonymous player profiles may be stored and retrievedvia central server-based architecture, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. When a player profile device, in this case a PlayerProfile Ticket 602, is output from a gaming machine configured forAnonymous Player Profile Storage and Retrieval (gaming machinescollectively denoted by reference numeral 604 in FIG. 6), playerinformation from the player's current game may be written to one or moredatabases 606 maintained on or by a central server 608. As shown, thedatabase 606 may include, for example, a customer database 614 and agame status database 616. Connections between the network of gamingmachines and the central server 608 may be either wired or wireless asshown at 610 and may be made through a casino management system, asshown at reference numeral 612. When a player profile device (such as,for example, a Player Profile Ticket 602) is input to one of the gamingmachines 604, the databases 606, 614, 616 may be referenced and theplayer information corresponding to the input Player Profile Ticket 602retrieved. The player's gaming machine 604 may then be appropriatelyconfigured, according to the player information retrieved from thedatabases 606, 614, 616. Such central server-based arrangement may bemore advantageous than peer-to-peer architecture for game operationsthat are distributed across remote properties, as shown in FIG. 6 inwhich some of the gaming machines 604 are located in Henderson, Nev.,whereas remaining ones (or other ones) of the gaming machines 604 arelocated in Las Vegas, Nev. In this manner, a player having established aplayer profile and having obtained his or her Player Profile Ticket inHenderson, Nev. may thereafter travel to Las Vegas, insert the PlayerProfile Ticket in a gaming machine of his or her choice, and have thatgaming machine configured according to the player information retrievedfrom or obtained on the basis of the Player Profile Ticket 602 obtainedin Henderson, Nev. The peer-to-peer architecture of FIG. 5 or thecentral server-based architecture of FIG. 6 may depend upon a machinereadable anonymous customer ID (usually a GUID Global Unique Identifieror referential index) printed on the Player Profile Ticket 602 toretrieve the player's stored profile and have his or her chosen gamingmachine personalized according to his or her preferences and/or have thegaming machine seamlessly resume a previously interrupted game as of alast completed level, for example. Alternatively, the player may simplyidentify him or herself anonymously to the gaming machine by an accountnumber and password pair entered via a keypad or via the touch screen,for example (therefore without any personal instrument), and have his orher chosen gaming machine personalized according to his or herpreferences and/or have the gaming machine seamlessly resume apreviously interrupted game as of a last completed level, for example.

Active anonymous players may be monitored while retaining theiranonymity to earn loyalty bonuses, be prompted with promotional offersand be invited to join a conventional full player tracking scheme foradditional benefits if they wish to reveal their identity.

FIG. 7 shows a basic embodiment of a Player Profile Ticket 702 that usesa standard 1-D barcode. The depicted Player Profile Ticket may include atextual header 704 announcing the ticket's purpose as well as astatement indicating that the Player Profile Ticket has no cash value,as shown at 706. The barcode 708 used on this Player Profile Ticket tostore information is a conventional, one-dimensional bar code. Becauseall of the data included on this barcode is encoded in its horizontalwidth, its memory capacity is somewhat limited. Such barcodes are bettersuited for simple memory demands like storing, for example, a customerID only (usually a GUID Global Unique Identifier or referential index).

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a Player Profile Ticket 802 that featuresa 2-D bar code. The 2-D bar code 804 featured in this Player ProfileTicket has data encoded in both the vertical and horizontal sectionsgiving it a greater memory capacity, as compared with 1-D bar codes. 2-Dbar codes are well suited for larger memory demands like storing acustomer ID along with player profile information and game status. Asignature and certificate of origin may be associated to the playerinformation such that the integrity of the player information may beverified when the ticket is read again to retrieve the player profiledirectly from the information encoded in the 2-D barcode. The signatureand certificate of origin may make use of, for example, the Microsoftcode-signing scheme.

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a Player Profile Ticket 902 that featuresa credit count, cash value and a timestamp. According to embodiments ofthe present invention, player accounting may be consolidated into PlayerProfile Ticket such that the Player Profile Ticket may have a cashvalue. In the ticket depicted in FIG. 9, a printed statement 904 clearlyindicates that the ticket may be redeemed for 93 credits. Anotherprinted statement 906 may equate this credit value to a correspondingamount in cash ($9.30 in this example). The illustrated Player ProfileTicket may also include a timestamp 908, which may be used to indicatethe time at which the ticket was generated.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of a Player Profile Ticket that listspossible locations or participating casinos 1004 whereby the bar code1002 may be read for retrieving the player's profile. It is to beunderstood that the Player Profile Tickets shown in the figures areexemplary in nature only and that actual implementations of such PlayerProfile Tickets may include different features, visible indicia, machinereadable indicia, security devices and/or features and may includedifferent or additional functionalities than described and shown herein.It is also to be understood that the Player Profile Tickets may beprinted (and read, thus Profile In/Profile Out or PIPO) by each gamingmachine in addition to the traditional ticket (e.g., IGT EZ-Pay) havingmonetary value (that is used to claim the player's winnings or remainingcredits) when a cash-out is activated in a Ticket-In/Ticket-out (TITO)system as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,048,269, 5,265,874, 5,674,128,5,800,269, 6,089,982, and 6,280,328. When a player actuates the cash-outfunction, the gaming machine may print two tickets, one being the PlayerProfile Ticket (PIPO ticket) and one being for the winnings or remainingcredits (TITO ticket). A single ticket may be generated to combine thefunctionalities of PIPO and TITO. All such implementations that include(or that are instrumental in retrieving) player profile information aredeemed, however, to fall within the scope of the presently shown anddescribed embodiments of the present inventions.

Indeed, while the foregoing detailed description has described severalembodiments of this invention, it is to be understood that the abovedescription is illustrative only and not limiting of the disclosedinvention. For example, while tickets, thumb drives, thumb memories, andkeypad systems were listed as possible profile storage devices, otheralternate devices such as smartcards or portable smart devices (PDA,mobile phones, MP3 Players, etc.) may also be used. Indeed, a number ofmodifications will no doubt occur to persons of skill in this art. Allsuch modifications, however, should be deemed to fall within the scopeof the present invention.

1. A method, comprising: providing a first network-connected regulatedgaming machine configured to enable a player to change personalparameters associated with the player during a game session on the firstgaming machine, the first gaming machine including a first ticketprinter and a first ticket reader; providing a first memory accessibleby the network; enabling the player to start a first game session on thefirst gaming machine with default personal parameters; changing thedefault personal parameters; enabling a player to end the game sessionon the first gaming machine; storing the changed personal parameters andan anonymous unique identifier in the first memory for later retrieval,the stored personal parameters being referenced by the anonymous uniqueidentifier; printing, by the first ticket printer, a first ticketincluding at least the anonymous unique identifier; providing a secondnetwork-connected regulated gaming machine that includes a second ticketprinter and a second ticket reader; reading, by the second ticketreader, at least the anonymous unique identifier printed on the firstticket upon presentation of the first ticket by the player to the secondgaming machine; retrieving from the first memory via the network thestored personal parameters referenced by the read anonymous uniqueidentifier, and enabling the player to start, on the second gamingmachine, a second game session configured with the retrieved personalparameters.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first memory islocated in the first gaming machine and the retrieving is performed bycopying the stored personal parameters directly from the first gamingmachine to the second gaming machine via the network in a peer-to-peerfashion.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first memory is locatedin a remote central server coupled to the network and the retrieving isperformed by copying the stored personal parameters from the memorylocated in the remote central server to the second gaming machine viathe network.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal parametersinclude at least one of game layout preferences, game configurationpreferences, game themes preferences, a last game level achieved, a lastpoint played in the game, a preferred starting point in the game, aplayer selected avatar, a player selected nickname (or pseudo-name),sound volume, and game accrued non monetary benefits.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, further including a step of printing, by the first ticketprinter, a second ticket associated with winnings or remaining creditsof the player when a cash-out function is activated.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the first ticket and the second ticket are merged on asingle ticket.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step ofencoding the anonymous unique identifier printed of the first ticket bythe first ticket printer in a machine readable code, the machinereadable code being one of a 1D barcode, a 2D barcode and OCR text thatis readable by the first ticket reader and the second ticket reader. 8.The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of encoding theanonymous unique identifier and the personal parameters printed of thefirst ticket by the first ticket printer in a machine readable code, themachine readable code being one of a 1D barcode, a 2D barcode and OCRtext that are readable by the first ticket reader and the second ticketreader.
 9. The method of claim 9, further comprising a step of printinga machine readable verification code comprising at least a PKIcertificate and a signature of the anonymous unique identifier and thepersonal parameters on the first ticket to enable, when the first ticketis being read by the first reader or the second reader, authenticationof the anonymous unique identifier and the personal parameters, theauthentication including at least proof of origin of the PKIcertificate.
 10. The method of claim 1, further including steps of thefirst ticket reader reading at least the anonymous unique identifierprinted on the first ticket presented by the player on the first gamingmachine and retrieving the personal parameters referenced by theanonymous unique identifier from the first memory.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising a step of the second ticket printer printinga second ticket including at least the anonymous unique identifier. 12.The method of claim 1, wherein the first game in the first game sessionand the second game in the second session are the same game.
 13. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first game in the first game session andthe second game in the second session are the same game and wherein thesecond enabling step is carried out such that the second game isconfigured to resume from where the first game ended.
 14. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising steps of monitoring an activity of theplayer identified by the anonymous unique identifier by a remote centralserver and recording, in a database, the recorded activity beingreferenced by the anonymous unique identifier.
 15. The method of claim14, wherein the monitoring step is carried out to enable the player toat least one of (a) earn loyalty bonuses, (b) be prompted withpromotional offers, and (c) be invited to join a conventional namedplayer tracking scheme for additional benefits if the player wishes toreveal his identity.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondproviding step is carried out with the second gaming machine beingconfigured to enable a player to change personal parameters associatedwith the player during a game session on the second gaming machine
 17. Amethod of enabling regulated game play, comprising: reading, by a firstgaming machine, a player profile instrument provided by a player havinginitiated a first game on the first gaming machine; retrieving, by thefirst gaming machine, player information from the read player profileinstrument and using the retrieved player information to retrieve playerprofile information and configuring the first gaming machine accordingto the retrieved player profile information; enabling the player to playthe initiated first game on the configured first gaming machine;responsive to one of a selected plurality of events, ending the firstgame and updating the player profile information with game informationfrom the played first game; reading, by a second gaming machine, theplayer profile instrument provided by the player having initiated asecond game on the second gaming machine; retrieving, by the secondgaming machine, the player information from the read player profileinstrument and using the retrieved player information to retrieve theupdated player profile information and configuring the second gamingmachine according to the retrieved updated player profile information,and enabling the player to play the initiated second game on theconfigured second gaming machine.
 18. The method of claim 17, whereinthe player profile information is retrieved by the first gaming machinefrom a player profile database that is provided within the first gamingmachine.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the player profileinformation is retrieved by the second gaming machine from a playerprofile database that is provided within the second gaming machine. 20.The method of claim 17, wherein the player profile information isretrieved by the first and second gaming machines from a player profiledatabase that is remote from the first and the second gaming machine.21. The method of claim 17, wherein the selected plurality of eventsincludes the player cashing out, the player running out of credits andthe player terminating the first game.
 22. The method of claim 17,wherein the second game is the same as the first game and wherein thesecond game configuring step configures the second game to start wherethe first game ended.
 23. The method of claim 17, wherein the secondgame is the same as the first game and wherein the second gameconfiguring step configures the second game to start in a level wherethe first game ended.
 24. The method of claim 17, wherein the playerprofile information includes a player-selected avatar, wherein the firstgame configuring step configures the first game to use theplayer-selected avatar and wherein the second game configuring stepconfigures the second game to use the player-selected avatar.
 25. Themethod of claim 17 wherein, after the second gaming machine readingstep, updating the player information and storing the updated playerinformation on the player profile device.
 26. The method of claim 17,wherein the player information includes a unique and anonymous playeridentifier that is associated with the player profile information of theplayer.
 27. The method of claim 17, wherein the player profileinstrument is a ticket printed by a first ticket printer included in thefirst gaming machine and read by a second ticket reader included in thesecond gaming machine.
 28. The method of claim 17, wherein the playerprofile instrument is a removable personal memory that is recordable viaa first removable personal memory reader/writer coupled to the firstgaming machine and readable by a second removable personal memoryreader/writer coupled to the second gaming machine.